Friday, April 14, 2023.

After breakfast, Mr. Ling went to the company.

Logically speaking, people of this age should have retired and enjoyed their retirement long ago. For example, Comrade Lao Ma is nearly 20 years younger than Mr. Ling, and he has been retired for several years.

In contrast, Mr. Ling, who is nearly eighty years old, still works more than ten hours a day. For decades, he has insisted on finishing the day's work on the same day and never lets unresolved issues remain overnight.

This is a true workaholic.

People who are familiar with him know that Mr. Ling often has a catchphrase: "If I am not allowed to work, I will probably die soon."

Mr. Ling is not only a workaholic, he is also a dictator.

Business journalists used to describe him as a "tyrant" because he worshipped the Chairman and applied his military strategic thinking and management philosophy to management. A huge enterprise with more than 150 branches and 30,000 employees had only one chairman and one general manager, both of whom were held by him.

The company does not have a vice president, and directly below the general manager are the "middle-level managers." This is the only company of its kind in the world.

There is even a joke circulating in the industry that even buying a broom in the company requires Mr. Ling’s personal signature.

It was only after he was in his seventies that Mr. Ling appointed his daughter as the company's vice chairman and general manager, preparing her for future succession, and power was gradually delegated to his daughter.

After Mr. Ling arrived at the company and was about to deal with today's work, his cell phone rang.

When he took out his cell phone and saw that the caller ID was from the matchmaker Master Jiang, Mr. Ling couldn't help but cheer up.

If there is anything that Mr. Ling cares about more than work right now, it is his daughter's lifelong event. Master Jiang called at this time. Could it be that there is good news?

With anticipation in his heart, Mr. Ling answered the phone.

"Master Jiang, good morning!" As soon as the call was connected, Mr. Ling greeted.

"Good morning, Mr. Ling. I hope I don't disturb you by calling you at this time?" Jiang Feng asked.

Elder Ling quickly said, "Don't bother me. Master Jiang, do you want to know something?"

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "Mr. Ling, it's like this. I have found a very suitable partner for Princess Ling. I am in Hangzhou now. How about we make an appointment at noon and invite Princess Ling to talk together?"

Elder Ling was a little surprised when he heard this, and immediately asked, "Master Jiang, when did you come to Hangzhou? Why didn't you tell me so I could send a car to pick you up?"

"Don't bother me, I came here by car."

"Okay, I'll arrange lunch for you at XX Restaurant near the old train station. I'll treat you, Master Jiang, to dinner."

"Okay, then I won't disturb you from working, Mr. Ling. See you at noon."

"Well, see you at noon."

After hanging up the phone, Mr. Ling became energetic and immediately called his daughter again.

As soon as the call was connected, Elder Ling said directly: "Lily, Master Jiang just called me and told me that he has arrived in Hangzhou. Let's go to XX Hotel for lunch at noon."

Princess Ling asked, "Dad, why did Master Jiang suddenly come to Hangzhou?"

Elder Ling smiled and said, "Master Jiang said he has found a suitable partner for you, so he asked us to meet and talk."

Princess Ling was slightly surprised and asked, "No way? He found someone suitable for me so quickly?"

Ling Lao said: "Since he has come to Hangzhou, it must be true. I just don't know what kind of person he has found for you."

"Okay, I get it. Let's work first and we'll know by noon!"

"Well, that's it!"

"OK."

…

noon.

Jiang Feng met the father and daughter of the Ling family in an old restaurant that had been open for decades near the old railway station in Hangzhou.

As reported by the media, neither the father nor the daughter paid much attention to dressing up.

Mr. Ling was wearing the group's work clothes and a pair of cloth shoes that cost a dozen yuan. If someone who didn't know him saw the way he was dressed, they would never have guessed that the old man in front of them had a net worth of over 100 billion yuan.

The only eye-catching thing on his body is the famous watch on his wrist, which is a gift from his daughter.

Jiang Feng understood this. After all, the old man Ling in front of him was born in the turbulent times of the last century. Nine out of ten people born in that era had suffered a lot and knew that today's life was hard-earned, so they lived a relatively simple life.

Princess Ling's dress was better than her father's, but not outstanding either. She looked just like an ordinary white-collar worker, wearing a black professional suit and her hair was not in any fashionable style, just a casual low ponytail.

There are only three pieces of jewelry on her body: a pair of earrings, a watch and a bag.

After some polite exchanges, the three of them sat down in the box.

"Master Jiang has become a big shot in the industry at such a young age, it's really amazing!" Elder Ling praised.

"My achievements are far behind yours, Mr. Ling. You started your own business in your forties and became the richest man in the country several times. This is truly amazing." Jiang Feng said with admiration.

He said this truly from the bottom of his heart. Anyone who knows this old man can't help but express their admiration for him.

At the best years of his life, he did physical work such as digging ditches and building dams, hauling soil and piling stones, planting tea, harvesting rice, reclaiming fields, digging salt, drying salt, and carrying salt.

It was in this kind of heavy mechanical physical labor that he spent the most precious golden 15 years of his life.

What does it mean to start a business in your forties?

Although Jiang Feng is far from that age, a careful observation will reveal that for people over 40, those who are capable have already stood out, while those who are incapable have basically accepted their fate.

In this era, there are only a few people who have the courage to start a business after the age of 40.

Because after the age of forty, no matter how high your ambitions are, they will have been worn away by this damn life.

"Master Jiang, thank you for your praise. I am also grateful for the country's development and the dividends of the times." Mr. Ling said modestly.

"Mr. Ling, you are too modest. There are so many people in our country. When the country develops, they are also involved. Why can't they enjoy the dividends of the times?"

Jiang Feng said: "In the final analysis, it was you, Mr. Ling, who had a sharp vision and was able to seize the fleeting opportunities of that era. This is how the XXX Mineral Water Group, which is famous all over the world today, was created."

"Master Jiang, you really flatter me. As the saying goes, the waves behind push the waves ahead. Master Jiang, you have become a big boss in the industry at such a young age. You have a promising future. After all, I am old and cannot keep up with the times. The future belongs to you young people."

"You are still strong despite your age..."

Princess Ling looked at the old man and the child bragging about their business and almost thought she had walked into the wrong set. She couldn't help but interrupt and said, "Dad, Master Jiang, you are both very good, but can we talk about business first?"

Hearing this, Elder Ling laughed and said, "Girl, when dad urged you to find a partner before, you didn't take it seriously, but now you are anxious."

Princess Ling dragged out the words, "Dad..."

Elder Ling surrendered immediately, "Okay, okay, I won't say anything more!"

"Princess Ling is right, let's talk business first."

Jiang Feng smiled slightly, then got to the point and briefly introduced: "The man I'm looking for for you, Princess Ling, is also from Hangzhou. He's 33 years old, 1.81 meters tall, and his appearance is, as we young people would say, a little handsome."

When Jiang Feng started to introduce the man's situation, the Ling family's father and daughter listened attentively.

"His family runs a furniture processing factory. Although they don't make a lot of money, his parents have saved up 20 to 30 million yuan after years of running the business."

Jiang Feng continued to introduce: "However, he himself has no interest in doing business and making money. In his own words, he has no ambition and is used to a life of contentment with a small fortune.

So he had no intention of taking over the family processing plant.

His biggest hobby is fishing. He is currently a well-known professional fisherman in China. With his fishing skills, he can earn hundreds of thousands of yuan a year, which allows him to live a comfortable life. "

At this point, Jiang Feng looked at Princess Ling, "Princess Ling, if you want to find someone who is of equal status or has a business mind and can help you, then I will definitely not introduce him to you. But if you don't care about the other person's family background or work ability, and just want to find someone who treats you sincerely, then he is the most suitable candidate."

Hearing this, the Ling family father and daughter both caught a few key words.

At this moment, the waiter knocked on the door and served the dishes. Because Mr. Ling had called in advance to make the reservation, all the dishes were served at once.

After the waiter left the box, Mr. Ling invited Jiang Feng to start eating.

Because the Lings' father and daughter had to go to work in the afternoon, none of the three drank.

After the dishes were finished, they continued the conversation.

Elder Ling drank a mouthful of soup and said, "Master Jiang, from what you said, that young man is really very clear-headed!"

"Everyone has different pursuits in life. He believes that money is something you can neither bring with you nor take with you when you die. As long as you can achieve basic financial freedom, there is no need to waste time on how to make money."

At this point, Jiang Feng looked at Princess Ling and said, "His attitude towards life may make others think he is too unmotivated, but I think he is quite suitable for you, Princess Ling."

Princess Ling nodded silently and said, "It sounds like a good match, but I don't know if he and I have anything in common."

"Princess Ling, you don't have to worry. After my marriage prediction, I found that the two of you have complementary personalities. You can be said to be a match made in heaven. If you were to become husband and wife, you would definitely have endless things to talk about."

Jiang Feng drank a mouthful of soup, then took out his cell phone, pulled out Cheng Guoan's photo, handed it to Princess Ling and said, "This is the photo I took of him yesterday. Princess Ling, you can take a look."

Princess Ling took the phone and looked at the photo on the screen.

Mr. Ling, who was sitting next to her, also leaned over to take a look.

At the first sight of the photo, Princess Ling agreed with Jiang Feng's evaluation. The man in the photo was indeed not a very handsome guy, just a little handsome.

It looks pretty good.

Old Ling has been in the martial arts world for decades and has a very sharp eye for people. Although he may not be able to tell much from a photo alone, he can still make a preliminary judgment.

In general, the young man in the photo doesn't look like an evil person.

Princess Ling handed the phone back to Jiang Feng and said, "She looks pretty good."

Jiang Feng took the phone and said, "Princess Ling, please think about it carefully. If you think it's okay, then I will arrange for you to meet and talk. If you think it's not okay, then I will find another type for you."

Princess Ling looked at her father and saw the encouragement in his eyes. She made up her mind and said, "Master Jiang, then please arrange for me to meet him and talk!"

Jiang Feng nodded and said, "Well, tomorrow is Saturday, how about we arrange a meeting tomorrow?"

Princess Ling replied, "Okay, Master Jiang, you can arrange the specific time and place. I have no problem with that."

Jiang Feng said: "Okay, I'll discuss it with the other party later and let you know when we've decided on the specific time and place."

Elder Ling continued, "Master Jiang, stop talking, or the food will get cold."

Then, the three of them focused their attention on the food, and when they had almost finished eating, they drank tea and chatted.

After finishing the discussion about the blind date, Princess Ling asked with some gossip, "Master Jiang, it is said online that your ability to predict marriages is unmatched, and the couples you have matched so far are all very loving. I wonder if it is true?"

Talking about his expertise, Jiang Feng was not modest, and smiled confidently: "It may be a bit too much to say that no one can compare to me, but so far, in the area of ​​marriage prediction, I have indeed never been defeated by anyone.

Since I started working as a matchmaker last year, I have directly and indirectly brought together thousands of couples. They are indeed very loving and each one of them can be called a model couple.

These are all well documented.

I am not saying this to brag, I am mainly asking Princess Ling to rest assured that the person I introduce to you must be the most suitable one for you. I hope you will seize this opportunity and not miss this rare marriage. "

"I will seize the opportunity. If I can find a suitable partner in this blind date, I will recommend you, Master Jiang, to one of my best friends and ask you to be her matchmaker."

"That's a good thing. It's also quite fulfilling to be able to find a husband of your dreams for you."

After that, the two sides drank tea and chatted until nearly two in the afternoon.

After the two sides separated, Princess Ling asked, "Dad, how credible do you think Master Jiang's words are?"

Ling Lao asked back: "Which sentence are you referring to?"

Princess Ling said, "Master Jiang said that he has directly and indirectly matched thousands of couples since he entered the industry last year, and each of them is qualified to be called a model couple."

Mr. Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "From his tone and expression at the time, he should not have lied, but this matter is indeed a bit exaggerated. How about I call the people at the Guangxi branch to help check it out?"

Princess Ling thought about it and shook her head, saying, "Forget it. If we investigate now, it would be like we don't trust him. Besides, Wang Wenjie praised Master Jiang to the sky in front of me. I believe he really has the ability."

Mr. Ling nodded, agreeing with his daughter's statement.